Otderscorincr attachment for type-writers



B. KERZ.

UNDERSCORING ATTACHMENT FOR TYPE WRITERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1918. I I

Patented N 0v. 25,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

B. KERZ.

UNDERSCORING ATTACHMENT FOR TYPE WRITERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, IBIB.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

the casing.

BERNARD KERZ, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

UNDERSCORING- ATTACHMENT FOR TYPE-WRITERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

Application filed June 19, 1918. Serial No. 240,795.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNARD KERZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Underscoring Attachments for Type-Writers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an underscoring attachment for typewriters and has for its principal object the production of a device which may be operated for simultaneously underscoring the letters when the letters are being pressed, thus causing a word when written to be underscored and thus relieving the necessity of first writing a word and then returning the carriage and underscoring'the word as is a common practice.

One practical form of construction and assembly of the present invention will be hereinafter described and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the underscoring attachment showing the same as providing the ribbon carrier and illustrating the position of the same when in an operative condition.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the underscoring attachment.

Fig. 3 is a deta1l perspective view of the under scoringbar and the supporting plate thereof.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a central vertical section through Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the handle member and the underscoring bar connected thereto, and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of a key, illustrating the manner in which the key engages and drives the underscoring bar, to cause the underscoring bar to make a character below the letter being formed.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, about to be described, it will be seen that the device consists of a supporting strip 10 having vertical projections 11 extending upwardly therefrom, the casing 12 being carriedupon one of the projections 11 and the ornamental duplicate casing 13 being carried upon the remaining projection. The ribbon guides 14 are carried by the casings 12 and 13 and the ribbon 15 passes through the guides and beside the casings 12 and 13. It will be noted that the casings have rounded outer ends, as indicated at 15, thus allowing the ribbon to slide therearound, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The casing 12 has a bottom 16 and a top 17. It will be noted that the top 17 extends beyond the curved portion 15 of the casing 12, thus preventing the ribbon from slipping thereover and constituting a support for the ribbon support 14. This top 17 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 18 which has enlarged end portions 19. The-slot intermediate its ends is straight as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 5 although it will be noted that the enlarged ends 19 are formed by gradually increasing the breadth of the slot, as hereinafter set forth.

The partition walls 20- and 21 are fixedly carried within the casing 12 intermediate the bottom 16 and the top 17 thereof as shown in Fig. 5. The partition wall 20 is solid and extends throughout the entire width of the casing, to communicate with a slot 22 formed in the inner side of the easing. The partition 21 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 23 for purposes to be hereinafter set forth and it will i be noted that these walls are comparatively close together.

The underscoring bar, indicated in general at 24 has a striking portion 25 from which extends an angular projection 26 upon which is formed the off-set end 27 formed on the supporting plate 28. This supporting plate 28 has a flat edge 29 extending substantially parallel to the striking portion 25 of the underscoring bar 24. This plate is-also provided with an opening 30 through which a securing rivet 31 passes for pivotally mounting the plate 28 upon-the lower end of the handle member 32.

This handle member 32 is elongated, as suggested in Fig. 6 and is substantially rectangular in cross section. The upper end of the handle member 32 is bifurcated, as indicated at 33 thus forming substantially parallel resilient lips 34. The plate 28 of the underscoring bar fits'between partition walls 20 and 21 in the casing 12, while the handle member 32 extendsthrough the slot in the partition wall 21, thus permitting herein suggested. Under normal conditions the handle member 32 will be carried at the inner end of the slot 23 and remote from the slot 22 formed in the casing 12. Therefore, it is obvious the underscoring bar will be out of alinement with the typewriter key 35.

\Vhen however, it is desired to underscore a word or words being written, without necessitating first the writing of the word and then the return of the carriage and the underscoring of such word or words, the operator pushes the lips 34 to the right, thus moving the lips from the slot 18 at one end thereof and into the reduced portion of the slot 18 to the other large end thereof, at this time, the resilient lips 34 will expand again to their normal positions, thus holding the handle member 32 adjacent the slot formed in the casing 12, 4

As the handle member 32 is being moved to the right hand side of the casing it is obvious the plate 28 will also be shifted simul taneously with the handle member as will the underscoring bar, thus causing the underscoring bar to be moved from the interior of the casing 12. As the plate 28 moves to I the right the spring 36, which is fixed as the partition walls 20 and indicated at 37 within the casing 12 between 21 will come into a .binding engagement with the flat edge 29 of the plate 28, thus tending to swing the underscoring bar 24 away from the ribbon 15. This action is due to the fact that the pressure of the spring will bear upon the plate off center with respect to the securing member 31. At this time, the striking portion 25 of the underscoring bar 24 will be in the path of movement of the keys of the typewriter, as the same are swung to form characters and for this reason it is obvious that as the key 35 is swung toward the roller carrying the paper, it will strike the underscoring bar and cause the underscoring portion 25 to simultaneously strike the ribbon for forming an impression upon the paper directly the key. As soon as the key has released the underscoring bar and moves downwardly, it 1s obvious the tension of the spring 36 will swlng the bar away from the ribbon, to a positlon to be engaged by the next key swung to form the next character, whereby the underscoring bar may be swung against the ribbon to underscore the character formed on the paper. This operation may continue as long as desired, thus causing the word or words being written to be simultaneously underscored, thus saving considerable time in this connection.

When the word or words underscored have been written, and it is not desired to underscore any further word or words, the handle member 32 is moved toward the inner end of the slot 23 of the partition Wall 21, simply by the compression of the resilient lips 34.

under the character formed by As these lips arrive at the inner end of the slot 18 formed in the top 17 of the. casing 12, they will again expand to their normal positions, thus holding the handle member at the inner portion of the casing and preventing thesame from accidentally moving due to the vibrations of the. typewriter when the same is in use. It is obvious that the movement of the handle member will cause the same to move the plate 28 and the underscori'ng bar 24 toward positions within the interior of the casing 12, thus moving the underscoring bar to an inoperative position.

It will be noted that the provision of the angular extension 26 of the underscoring bar 24 allows the striking portion 25 to l my invention. It is to be understood that v I may make such changes in construction and arrangement and combination of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera, as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my inven tion, whatI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, -is:- r

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing, partition walls carried within said casing, an underscoring bar having a supporting plate extending between the partition walls, a handle member pivotally mounted upon said plate and projecting from the casing, a spring carried by the casing and bearing upon the plate when the same is in an operative position for normally urging the underscoring bar in one direction, whereby when the bar is swung, it may be moved simultaneously with a key for forming a character.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing, said casing having parallel partition walls, one of said partition walls having a longitudinal slot therein, said casing including a top having a slot extending longitudinally thereof, a handle aeaaeeo combination of a casing including a top having a slot formed longitudinally there'- of, said slot being enlarged at its ends, a handle member including a bifurcated end formin' resilient parallel lips extending throng said slot, whereby when the lips are in either of the enlarged ends of the slot in the top of the casing, the handle member will be held against accidental movement, and an underscoring bar movably mounted upon the inner end of said handle member, whereby when the handle member is moved said bar may be moved to an operative or inoperative position.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of an underscoring bar consist ing of a striking portion having anangular projection formed thereon and terminating in an off-set end formed integral upon a supporting plate, means for supporting said plate and moving the underscoring bar to an operative position, and means engaging said plate forming the same to swing in one direction for holding the underscoring bar in position to be struck and moved to form a character.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a supporting strip having vertical projections formed thereon, casings carried upon said projections in parallel relation, ribbonsupports carried'on said cas ings, an underscoring bar movablymounted upon one of said casings, means for moving said underscoring bar to an operative or inoperative position between said casings,

whereby said underscoring bar will be in the path of movement of a key for being shifted by the key forforming a character when in an operative position. a

,In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of a witness.

t BERNARD KE RZ. Witness:

WM. ZEAMAN. 

